The final week of HFF19 began with Matt the Gathering. After a fun time collecting cards from the seven Matts aka the #wizardsofthefringe, the lucky winners gathered at a secret location to celebrate and collect their bounties. What an amazing social media campaign by Fringe photographer Matt Kamimura, who has created a Fringe event that will live in infamy. Now, on to the reviews for Monday night.
TITLE OF SHOW: Drought
VENUE: Asylum Studio C
REVIEW: Kate Radford is from the UK and has brought to the Fringe a remarkable story that combines spoken word with storytelling and music. She is adept at the proper use of the looper, and weaves her stories into the underlying musical soundtrack that she has created with the looper. She sings in two ancient languages (Hebrew and ancient Greek) while telling a remarkable story in poem and prose that screams about the ancient problems women have faced for millenia. This show should be required viewing for every man alive today, to truly understand what women have been dealing with for so long. This one may make you mad, but it is worth the emotional backlash.
RECOMMENDATION: Go and see this show. She has one remaining performance on June 29 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available on her project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: The Last Powerpoint
VENUE: Asylum Studio C
REVIEW: Blackboxing was an incredible show, and now we can add The Last Powerpoint to the list of shows that actively involved the stage manager. Ben Nicholson has created a comic work that on its face looks like a frustrated young salesmen that has been put in his place by an irate tech guru (played by stage manager Pam Noles), who has not been paid for their services. Nicholson’s sheer brilliance is best illustrated by his engagement with the audience and enticing them to sing the “Kars 4 Kids” ditty with him, over and over again, to a techno beat. This one is so much fun and was the perfect culmination to an interesting day of fringing.
RECOMMENDATION: The show has now closed, but we highly recommend it if it gets extended.